Treasure Protectors
by inkl0v3
Summary: After Riley and their daughter Martha are kidnapped, Ben and Abigail find themelves racing against the clock on a very different type of treasure hunt...
1. Chapter 1

**Treasure Protectors**

A/N: This is set about 14 years after the movie. It has Ben, Abigail, Riley, Ian (and some of his henchmen), and Martha (Marti for short), Ben's daughter. While Ben and Abby go out one night, Riley stays home to baby-sit Marti. They all expect a quiet evening- that is until an old enemy resurfaces to steal their greatest treasure. This is my 1st fanfic! (PS: I don't own national treasure- Disney does, But Marti belongs to me!)

Chapter one

_Abigail Chase leaned over the desk, her dark eyes studying the two nervous young men in front of her._

"_You're treasure hunters, aren't you?" She accused, wondering why they were even trying. The quick thinking one, Mr. Brown, glanced over at Mr.…Bill, or whatever his name was._

"_We're more like treasure protectors." He told her, smiling slightly. She gazed into his brown eyes, wondering if she could trust them._

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The young man tapped his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the song he was listening to. Gazing out the window at the sky he murmured that he must be getting close- he could actually see a few stars out.

Riley loved visiting his friends at their old colonial house out in the middle of nowhere- but it seriously creeped him out how quiet it got at times. At least he wasn't going to be alone tonight. He was babysitting Ben's teenage daughter, Martha (or rather, Marti, as she liked to be called). Ben and Abigail had always made sure that they got Riley to baby-sit for them. He treated Marti like his little sister; and after all- who else could they trust better?

The music erupted into static as Riley rounded a corner. A bulletin came on the radio, something about an escaped convict. Riley flipped it off.

"Yeah, that's just what I need- something to creep me out even more tonight."

Riley had traded in his sports car a few years ago after (accidentally) driving it through one too many front yards. He now had a pretty reliable used car, much easier to drive than a stick shift (which he had never gotten the hang of anyway).

He finally caught sight of their lighted driveway up ahead and sighed with relief. He pulled up near the front door, making sure that he wasn't blocking their car from leaving. He got out of his car and walked over to the front door, opening it without knocking. He immediately smelled pizza and could hear Ben talking in the background.

"Hello?" he called out.

"Oh, hey Riley. You're actually on time!" Abigail greeted him as she rushed past in a black dress, fastening one of her earrings.

"Yeah, nice to see you too, Abigail." He waved as she rushed down the front hallway. He closed the door behind him and stood in the hallway for a minute, listening to the dysfunctional family background noise. Finally Ben walked over and greeted him.

"Riley! Thanks for getting here on such short notice!" he shook Riley's hand.

"Hey, no prob. You guys get invited to yet another gala event and I'm the faithful babysitting man." He smiled.

"Dad!" Marti whined as she walked over, already dressed in pajama shorts and a tank top, "I don't need a babysitter, I'm already fourteen!"

"Hey, hey, hey." Riley waved his hands, "Who said anything about babysitting? I am merely here for pigging out on pizza and watching movies for my own enjoyment." He explained. Marti smiled.

"You're the best Riley!" she hugged him, her honey-brown eyes glowing, and then turned away. "I'll go get the pizza- sausage and mushroom!" she called out as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"Sausage and mushroom?" Riley turned towards Ben, "Honestly, what have you been feeding that girl?" he asked.

"Hey, it's her favorite." Ben smiled. Abigail came over and joined him at the front door.

"Now, we'll be gone for about four or five hours, but you have our cell phone number, so call us if anything is wrong." She talked hurriedly as she dug around in her purse for her car keys.

"Yes mom." Riley sighed. Abigail looked up and smiled at him.

"Now you two go and have fun," Riley ushered the couple out the door and waved to them. "Be back by midnight and don't talk to strangers!" he called out before shutting the door and locking it.

"Alright- who's ready to watch some movies?!" he yelled out, running into the kitchen after Marti.

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None of them saw the man hiding in the shadows- watching them. He remained still and silent, like a predator observing his prey. He had waited so long for this night, so long…

He had to chuckle slightly when he saw Ben and Abigail walk over to their car. They were so carefree, so unsuspecting. He only wished that he could see their faces once it happened.

"Oh well," he whispered to himself, gazing as Abby's car slid out of sight, "Riley's reaction will be good enough…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

A/N: From now on, this story will be in 1st person POV. I might do the last chapter in 3rd person again, but I like writing in 1st person much better. Sorry that the chapters are kind of short, I'll try to fix that. Enjoy the second chapter guys! (Once again, I don't own anything except Marti. The rest is property of Disney)

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I scarfed down my fifth slice of pizza as Marti flipped through the channels on TV, looking for something else to watch. We had grown bored of the old black and white movie we had been watching. She finally settled for a chick flick, resulting in a groan from me.

"Oh, shut up. We've watched this before." She laughed as her long, wavy brown hair fell around her shoulders.

"Yeah, and I didn't like it then either." I said with my mouth full.

"Look, if you don't like it then you can go hang out by yourself…"

"Alright, alright," I sighed. It wasn't fair, she knew how this place freaked me out at night and she always used it against me.

"I'm going to go get a soda, okay?" I asked as I stood up, heading for the kitchen.

"Okay…" she said without listening as she concentrated on the movie.

I grabbed my paper plate and threw it away once I reached the kitchen. Yawning, I stretched and ran my hands through my messy hair. I clicked the counter radio on as I searched their refrigerator for something to drink.

"…and he may be armed. Police suspect him to be very dangerous, so keep your doors and windows locked." The same police bulletin came on. I instinctly reached to click it back off again when something made me catch my breath.

"Once again, police are looking for Ian Howe, an escaped criminal. He is middle-aged, has long blonde hair, a medium build, and…" the announcer rambled on. I stood like that for a long time- arm outstretched, eyes glued to the radio- until I remembered where I was and who I was babysitting for.

"Oh…this can be good." I breathed. I clicked the radio off and nervously wrung my hands together, wondering what to do.

"Get yourself together Riley!" I muttered as I headed to the kitchen window to make sure that it was locked. I glanced outside uneasily, holding my breath. For a moment I didn't see anything, but something kept me standing there, watching. Then, something over in the tall bushes outlining the driveway moved. I jumped back after seeing the dark shadow, before taking off in a dead sprint back to the living room, scared out of my mind.

As I passed the back door, it shattered open. I ducked and covered my head as glass sprayed everywhere.

"MARTI!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I dove out of the way of something that had meant to hit me. Scrambling back to my feet, I heard more noise coming from the living room. I ran as fast as I could, getting there in time to see a man dressed all in black slowly chasing Marti around the couch. He kept getting closer to catching her, until she tripped and fell. The man quickly caught up to her.

"Riley, HELP!!!" she gave a bloodcurdling scream that made my heart stop. I rushed over, tipping the coffee table in front of the guy and grabbing her by the hand.

"What are we doing!?!" she yelled as I dragged her up the stairs.

"Running!!" I screamed as we hurdled down one of the hallways. I heard very loud thumping coming up the stairs behind us as the men- I don't know how many there were- chased after us. We reached her room at the end of the hallway and I slammed it shut, pushing her dresser in front of it. We both looked madly around, unsure of what to do.

"What are we GOING TO DO!?!" she screamed, clinging to me. I saw her balcony open and pushed us over to it, closing the doors behind us. Someone was trying to struggle her bedroom door open. We only had a few seconds.

I turned around, looking at their immense backyard. Their pool! Ben had put the pool in a few years after he bought the house, and I was very grateful right now that he had placed it so close to Martha's balcony.

"Okay, when I say three, jump!" I explained quickly to Marti.

"WHAT!?!" she yelped. Her bedroom door busted open behind us.

"THREE!" I yelled, hugging her and jumping from the balcony. She screamed right into my ear as we fell and was only quiet once we had landed in the dark water. It was unnervingly quiet under the water as I pushed myself off from the bottom of the pool, gasping as I broke the surface. I thrashed around, trying to find Ben's daughter. I finally caught sight of Marti , who was sputtering and trying to swim, and grabbed her, making my way over to the side of the pool.

"Very nice Riley," someone clapped, "you're almost as good as Ben at diving." I heard a familiar voice remark. I looked up, seeing Ian and two other guys standing right in front of us.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

The plot thickens. Okay, here we go, the next chapter! (Oh yeah, did I mention that I don't own any of the original characters from N.T., just Martha Gates? Good.)

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"Ohhhh…h-hey Ian…" I sputtered. "Nice night for a s-swim, isn't it?" I smiled.

"Wait, _Ian_? As in _Ian Howe_?!" Marti asked.

"Uh-hah, not the best time, Marti!" I whispered at her through clenched teeth.

"No, it's quite alright Riley, I don't mind fans."

"Then you are Ian Howe- the man who tried to kill my dad?" Marti glared up at him. Ian's smile fell.

"And you, delightful little girl, must be Martha Madison Gates." He sneered down at her. "How I've wanted to meet you."

"Ooookay. Um, well, it's been nice, but I think that we all should just-" I started to say.

"Shut up Riley!" Ian yelled, motioning to his men who grabbed us and hauled us out of the pool. "You always were the talkative one." He muttered, turning around and stalking off.

"Umm, h-hey!" I yelled as the men forced us to walk, following Ian. "Ian- what's going on here?" I asked, out of breath from all the adrenaline. He slowly turned back around to face us, still walking.

"Can't you see?" he laughed in that scary, evil way. "I'm kidnapping you!"

Marti's eyes widened and I started to struggle. I wouldn't let him take us, at least not her.

"Wait! Can't you just take me?!" I cried desperately, trying to catch up to Ian.

"What, and ruin all the fun for Ben and Abigail? I don't think so."

"I won't let you do this!" I yelled after him as we neared a black car that was parked behind the bushes. "I won't let you take her!" I struggled even more.

I was almost free of the man's grip when Ian grabbed something from the trunk and turned back around, a baseball bat in his hands. He swung it at me, hitting me in the gut. I fell to the ground, all the air knocked out of me.

"RILEY!" Marti screamed. Her mouth was covered by the other man's large hand, but I could still see her golden eyes, frozen wide with fear. I glanced back up as Ian swung the bat again, this time connecting the wood with my head.

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Abby pulled the car up the driveway, still laughing with me over what one of the guests had said. The event had lasted longer than we had thought it would. Hopefully, Riley didn't mind (Hopefully he had remembered to put Marti in bed!). Then I saw Abby's face go white and she stopped laughing all at once.

"What is it?" I asked, still gazing at her.

"Look…" she could barely talk as she pointed at our front door. It was battered open. I immediately opened my car door and rushed towards the house.

"Marti!" Abby screamed, running after me. I stood in the dark doorway for a moment, unable to process what was happening. The front hallway held broken picture frames, overturned side tables, and muddy footprints. My mouth hung open as I stumbled through the wreckage into the living room. The TV was still on, and the empty pizza box was strewn on the floor. The coffee table had been flipped over and I could see broken glass leading a trail to the back door, no doubt also shattered.

I backed away from the living room to the stairs, slowly sitting myself down, my mouth hanging open. I stared around, my vision going blurry.

"BEN!" I heard Abby yell from upstairs. It woke me up from my shock. I realized that I hadn't even known that she had gone upstairs. What if whoever had done this was still here?

I ran up after her, glad that the hallway light was on upstairs. She was at the end of the hall, crumpled on the floor crying. I was about to go over to her when I noticed what had made her so upset. I sunk down next to her, tears running down my face.

Martha's door was splintered open, her dresser flung to the floor, and her curtains were blowing in the wind from her open balcony.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

A/N: National Treasure characters belong to Disney and Martha belongs to me.

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Our house was swarming with police. There was hardly any room to just sit and _think_. I sighed and tiredly rubbed my eyes, leaning against the kitchen wall.

"How're you doing Ben?" Sadusky asked me, holding a cup of coffee. I had called him once I had gotten a hold of myself.

After we had recovered the knights templar treasure a few years ago, he had given me his card and told me that he'd come if I had ever needed some help. I needed it now more than ever.

"Uh… fine- I think." I sighed, looking up at him.

"Well, don't worry too much Ben. We aren't too far behind our suspect."

"You already have a suspect?" I asked as Abby joined us.

"Yes. We're the FBI, Ben. It only took us a day to catch you when you stole the declaration."

"Well, who's your suspect?" Abby asked, her face tear-stained.

"One guess." Sadusky said.

Before I could figure it out, my cell phone went off, making me and Abby jump. She sighed and rubbed her head as I picked it up.

"Hello?" I asked. It was quiet on the other end for a moment.

"Hello?" I asked again, my voice straining.

"Hello Ben." Replied someone who sounded all too familiar. My breath caught in my throat as Abby and Sadusky leaned in closer.

"I-Ian?" I squeaked.

"You've had a rough night- haven't you?" he asked in a sarcastic voice. My mind was racing, trying to comprehend what was happening.

"I just called to let you know something." He continued. Abby grabbed the phone away from my hand.

"_What_ _have you done to our daughter, you slimy snake_?!" she snarled.

"I have her, and Riley. They can't come to the phone right now though, they're a little tied up." He joked, making Abby's face grow red with anger.

"I just wanted to tell you that tomorrow morning at five a.m., you will find something waiting for you in Ben's grandpa's old attic. Hope we see each other soon. Oh, and do please bring those FBI agents along with you." He said cheerfully as he hung up. Abigail dropped the phone, letting it clatter to the floor. I held her as she started to collapse again.

"My grandpa's been dead for- almost twenty years!" I told Sadusky. "I told Ian only once how I first learned about the knights templar legend- I can't believe that he'd remember!" I rambled on, unbelieving.

"Alright, I need a small unit to go with me!" he called out to the crowd of officers in our house. "It doesn't matter; we still need to know what he's planning to do. We need to stay on top of him." He said, turning back around to us.

"Do you two want to ride with me?" he asked, heading to our front door.

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I groaned, trying to swallow as I groggily opened my eyes. My mouth was dry and I had the worst headache in the world right now. I gazed around the small, damp room I was in, trying to remember what had happened.

"Riley! You're alright!" I heard someone with an unbelievably high-pitched voice call out.

"Oohhh… don't scream so loud!" I moaned, trying to sit up. My hands were tied together around a wooden beam or something. I was dizzy and I could barely make out someone else tied up next to me, her hands bound behind her.

"M-Marrti…?" I slurred, feeling as if I had to drag the name up from the depths of the fog in my mind. All of a sudden, everything came back to me in a rush.

"Oh great," I gasped, falling back down. "What's happening?"

"Well, nothing yet. I mean, they stuffed us in the trunk last night and the next thing I know, I wake up tied up next to you." She explained. I shut my eyes.

"Riley? Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"I-I just can't _believe_ that I let this happen!" I muttered angrily, kicking the ground.

"Don't blame yourself Riley." Marti pleaded, "I'm just glad that you're alright. I mean, it scared me half to death last night when you were unconscious next to me in the trunk. I-I kept thinking that you were dead!" she whispered, starting to cry.

"Marti- I, I just-" I started.

Someone walked towards us, their heavy footsteps echoing through the tiny, torch-lit chamber we were in. I looked up. It was Ian.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Was Shaw the one that died in the movie? I can't remember who it was that fell into the bottomless-pit thing, but let's hope it wasn't Shaw, because he shows up in this chapter. Let's all just _pretend_ that he survived, alright? Okay, time for the next chapter! Aren't you excited? Anyway, once again national treasure (including a certain place where two captives are currently being held…) is copyrighted to Disney. I own Martha.

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"Good morning, you two." Ian smirked. I seriously _hated _that man, even more now in person than in my parent's stories. I stared him in the eye, trying to make him see that he was not getting to me.

"Ian, where are we?" Riley rasped. I could tell that he was thirsty.

"What, you don't remember this place?" Ian sneered down at him. I clenched my fists, wanting to kill him. Why did he have to be so _cocky_?

Riley's eyes lit up, and I could see him trying to sit back up again.

"The creepy tunnel inside the tomb…" he whispered, glancing around the very empty, musty old room. The walls were carved out of stone and there was an opening on one end that dropped into nothingness (as much as I could see), with a very old and unreliable looking elevator. A lantern hung in one corner, along with various torches along the walls.

"Wait-where are we?" I asked, glancing over at Riley.

"This is where your dad found the treasure room." Riley answered, looking over at me. I could see that his blue eyes were wide, taking all this in.

"Very good, you remember. I see that my batting practice didn't hurt you as much as I feared it would."

"Yes it did!" I cried out, wanting this evil man to just disappear. "His hair is matted with dried blood, look!"

Riley struggled to reach up and feel his own head, recoiling immediately from his touch.

"Ouch!" he whined, rubbing the dried blood off his fingers.

"Oh, so it is. Well, you don't have to worry about me much more; I'm going to stay out of your way. Shaw, however, will be staying to keep an eye on you." He explained, motioning to a big, bald man who strode into the chamber carrying a backpack. I backed up a bit, frightened even more by this new man than by Ian himself.

"And where are you going?!" Riley cried out as Ian got on the rickety elevator.

"I have to attend to some unfinished business." He called down to us before disappearing from our sight.

Everything was quiet for a moment as Shaw looked us over.

"H-hey, Shaw! Long time no see, right?" Riley stuttered. The man stared at him, then at me, before spitting on the ground and stalking over to a corner far from our side of the room.

"Yeah, nice to see you too…" Riley smiled half-heartedly.

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"Abby? Abby, honey, we're here." Someone murmured, gently shaking me. I sighed, opening my eyes.

Ben stood up and turned around, walking over to Sadusky. They started to talk quietly. I stretched and sat up, scratching my head. I had lain across the backseat of the car as we drove all night. Now we had finally made it to D.C. I stood up and closed the car door behind me, shivering in the cool, early-morning wind. The sky was a pre-dawn gray, revealing a cloudy sky. I joined my husband next to the FBI agent, catching the end of their conversation.

"…but he probably won't take any action soon. We just have to hurry if we're going to find them both aliv-" they stopped suddenly as I approached.

"Are you ready to go in?" I asked Ben, choosing to ignore what they had been talking about.

"I guess." He sighed. I rubbed his shoulder and he smiled tiredly down at me. The three of us, plus four other agents, headed to the front door. Sadusky had called ahead and had made sure that the current owners were out of the house until we were done. I tried to make myself feel strong and hopeful, trying to fight off the tears. As long as whatever was in the attic was good news, I would be fine.

Two of the agents went up ahead of us, making sure that it was safe in the attic, before we joined them. I saw Ben gaze around with wide eyes.

"It's just as cluttered as it always was..." he whispered, heading over towards the back. There were some stairs leading to a shelf, and he climbed them slowly as thunder rumbled in the distance. I followed slowly behind him, wondering why he was going over here.

He grabbed something and climbed back down, showing it to everyone. It looked like old parchment paper, tied with a ribbon to keep it rolled up.

"I think that this is what he wanted us to find." He remarked as he untied the ribbon. I helped him unroll it, the agents clustered around us.

"What is it?" I asked, puzzled at the blank sheet of paper.

"A map," Ben murmured as he studied it.

I had a sudden flashback to when Ben had stolen the Declaration of Independence, claiming that there was a map on the back. It could only be seen after we had revealed the invisible ink using lemons and a blow dryer.

"Ian couldn't of…" I started. Ben ran downstairs, opening the fridge and rummaging for lemons. I only paused for a second before heading to the bathroom to look for a blow dryer. The agents followed us, very confused.

It wasn't long before we could read the first few lines written on the parchment: '_For Ben and Abigail Gates: You two like treasure hunts- don't you?'_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Da-da-DUM! It appears as though Ian wants to have some fun with Ben and Abby before giving them Martha and Riley back. Disney owns national treasure, but I own Martha Madison Gates.

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I worked on the map non-stop until it was finished and one of the agents had written down what it said. I sat back once we were done, breathing hard. It hadn't taken longer than an hour, but I had been bent over the map for most of that time.

I sat down shakily in a chair, tired from my lack of sleep. I took a few deep breaths, closing my eyes, before opening them again. All of the agents were bent over the paper, studying it closely.

I stood back up and walked out of the room, searching for my wife. I wandered into the cramped kitchen and over to the window. Looking out at the overcast sunrise, I saw my wife huddled on the ground in front of a flower bed in the backyard. After I got a glass of water, I went outside to join her.

"Thirsty?" I asked quietly from behind her. She took a ragged breath before straitening up into a sitting position. She turned and looked at me, her swollen eyes red with tears. She took the glass and looked back down as she embraced it with both hands.

"Abby," I kneeled down next to her, "don't worry so much. We're going to find them."

"How can you be so sure?" she choked out, laying her head on my shoulder.

"Because I've known Ian longer than you. We worked a long time trying to find the treasure together, and he just got impatient at the end. He really isn't all that bad." I explained, hugging her.

"But-but- Martha…" she started to cry again.

"We'll find Martha and Riley." I stated, trying to convince myself along with her. I heard the back door open.

"You two might want to come read this." Sadusky called over to us. Abigail sighed and I helped her stand up. I held her close, wiping away her tears.

"I won't let _anything _happen to them." I promised her. She looked up into my eyes and managed a weak smile before we went back inside.

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I sighed and gave up trying to free my hands from the rope that was biting into them. It was obviously pointless, but I had grown restless with just sitting here. I looked over at Marti who was asleep. Her hands were tied around a wooden beam as well, making sure that we were anchored down tightly.

She stirred and woke back up again, shivering in her boxer shorts and tank top.

"It's s-soooo c-cold…" She whispered, trying to fold her legs up to stay warm.

"I know, even with all these torches. I wonder why it's so wet down here." I wondered aloud, glancing around at the dripping walls.

"It's flooded." Shaw spat out, looking up from sharpening his knife. Good old Shaw, a man of few words.

"Are we about to have another Albuquerque-Snorkel experience?" I asked, smiling. He glared at me.

"I meant the bottomless pit out there is full 'o water." He grimaced, speaking in that Germanly-Russianist-somewhat-European accent of his. I could never tell where he was from, somewhere where they were very tough, no doubt. I bet Ben could guess it on the first try.

"Wait," Marti said, "So it's flooded? How high?"

"Almost reaches us. No doubt would if a rainstorm came through." Shaw went back to sharpening his knife.

"Annnd you're okay being stranded down here with us, your life in danger?" I asked out of curiosity.

"No." He glared at me again, "But Ian says it's not supposed to rain until Sunday, possibly Monday. He'll be back by then." He went back to his knife-sharpening once again.

"But what if he's not?" I asked. Shaw looked back up at me with a death glare.

"Do you want me ta shove this knife down your _throat_?!" he yelled. It got quiet.

"Not really." I said softly as soon as his head was back down. He threw down his knife, sighing in exasperation.

"I'm goin' to take a leak," he muttered, standing up and walking out towards the edge of the chamber, as far from me as possible. I had that effect on bad guys.

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"But- what does it mean?" Abby pleaded, looking like she was about to cry again.

"Come on, Mrs. Gates, you're smart. This isn't all _that _hard, is it?" Sadusky asked her. She stared at the paper again, concentrating on it as much as possible.

"It's a clue- a riddle." She sighed, straitening back up. "I just wish that he wouldn't have been this heartless…"

"He's not being heartless, he's getting revenge." I muttered, gazing at what the agent had copied down from the invisible map. Or rather, note.

Ian had obviously been planning this for quite awhile now, going into a lot of detail. His note read:

'_For Ben and Abigail Gates: You two like treasure hunts- don't you? I made this one just for you. Just follow the clues and it'll soon lead you to the treasure you most desire._

_It'll be like old times, you against me. This time the roles are reversed though, with you willing to do anything to get this back just for you and the FBI chasing after me. Maybe this time I'll be the noble hero and you'll end up in the iron pen. Feel free to dive right in anytime at the place where the status quo ends. _

_Time's running out and you'd better hurry before the treasure disappears for good. I had to wait quite awhile to come up with this, thinking just like you would._

_My men and I have given you more than enough clues right now. Just follow your heart and know where to start: where you found the clue (and we almost caught you) at the house of Pass and Stow"_

"Who knew Ian was so poetic?" I mumbled, starting to pace. "He's obviously copying this from our last treasure hunt, _the house of pass and stow_. We need to first go see that fake brick that the ocular device was in and we could find the next clue."

"Alright, let's go!" Sadusky exclaimed. Abby shook her head.

"No- there's more to it." She said, thinking aloud.

"Right. He said, '_My men and I have given you more than enough clues right_ _now', _indicating that there are more clues hidden within the note itself, but I don't know how significant they are. I mean, maybe he just threw them in to confuse me, but…" I sighed, sitting back down. "I don't know. All we have to go on is the first clue, so maybe we should just follow it."

"Five minutes." Sadusky said.

"Excuse me?" I asked, looking up at him.

"If you can't figure it out in five minutes, then we'll go just on the first clue. Is that okay?"

"I-I guess. Yes, that's perfect." I stuttered, trying to think straight.

"The agents and I will go get the cars started." He said, motioning to them.

I sat quietly, trying to figure it out. The only thing that bugged me was, if I was the great Benjamin Gates, finder of the lost Templar Treasure, why couldn't I figure out Ian's simple riddle? Because it wasn't simple, that's why.

"He gives us the location of the treasure," Abigail stated, gazing at the paper.

"What?" I asked, looking up at her.

"It's in there somewhere, I'm sure of it. Look, he could have just told you the first clue, but he has a long paragraph here. He threw in some of this stuff, like _iron pen _to confuse you, but the paragraph is too long to be full of just red herrings. We know where this hunt ends; we just have to figure it out now." She breathed.

"Did you happen to know that I love you?" I asked, going over and hugging her.

"Why yes, I think I did" she murmured, leaning in and kissing me.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Yea! Longer chapters! I'm sorry that the first few were really short. Thank you to those who are reading this and reviewing! I hope you like the next chapter! Remember, I own Martha, but Disney owns the rest.

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My stomach rumbled loudly, causing Riley to look over at me.

"Sorry." I whispered, unfolding my legs.

"Hey, it's fine. I'm hungry too. Let me tell you, so far I don't really enjoy being a captive." He smiled. I smiled weakly back over at him.

Riley always knew how to cheer me up. I could still remember when I was little and scared of thunderstorms and he would hide under the blankets with me, whispering stories of how my dad and him had found the treasure. That was where I had first heard of Ian. He didn't seem as threatening in those stories as he did in real life.

I groaned, feeling so hungry that my stomach hurt. I looked over at Shaw, who was currently sprawled out on the floor, asleep. I loudly cleared my throat, glaring at him. He didn't stir. I whistled as loud as I could over to him, but he still didn't wake up.

"SHAW!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. He sprang up, rubbing his eyes.

"Wha- what is it?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Um… I'm sorry but, do happen to have any food?" I asked quietly.

"And something to drink would be nice!" Riley chipped in.

"As a matter o' fact," he yawned, rummaging through his backpack, "Ian told me to give you these." He explained, tossing two water bottles and two energy bars at us.

"Ummmm….yeah." Riley gazed at it, "That's great Shaw, but, how are we going to eat with our hands tied up?" Shaw sighed, walking over to us.

"He also said that I was supposed to untie you for about ten minutes. But don't try to escape!" he eyed us as if we were the criminals, not him.

"Oh, I don't think you should worry about us, bud." Riley smiled, patting Shaw on the back once his hands were untied. Shaw glared at him again.

"An' don't call me _bud._" He glowered. Riley let his hand fall off Shaw's shoulder.

"Right." He sighed, turning around and opening a water bottle.

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I watched them quietly from my hiding place in a nearby tree. I had come alone, but Powell was somewhere nearby. I needed to make sure that they were on the right track, that Ben hadn't already seen through my note.

They had indeed brought a few of their FBI friends along, although I saw little need in them being there. The Gates were smart enough to figure this out on their own. It was only taking them so long because they were scared.

I had to smile at that- scared. I once again had all the right cards in my hand, and there was no way for Ben to bluff his way out of this one.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and I glanced worriedly at the dark sky.

They had better figure this out soon, or else… I didn't want to think about what would happen if it was to rain too soon. The secret temple beneath Trinity Church was already almost too full. If we didn't get there at just the right time, it would be too late for the three that were stranded down there.

I turned my attention back to the crowded rooftop of Independence Hall. They had already found the fake brick and retrieved my next clue. It wouldn't be long before they arrived at the next place. I needed to find Powell and get going.

Before I climbed back down though, I gazed once more back at the group that was huddled together and smiled. Maybe this once I could be the one that outsmarted all the others, even the great Benjamin Gates himself. I had to laugh at that.

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Ben studied the cavity that was inside the fake brick.

"What is it?" I asked, worried by his expression. He emptied the contents of the brick into his hand before extending it for us to see.

"A…coin." One of the agents said, puzzled.

"No," I gasped, reaching out to take it, "It's an Indian Head Nickel."

"That's right." Ben sighed.

"But-what does it mean?" Sadusky asked.

"It probably means that we should head back to Washington D.C. The man who created this coin- James Earle Fraser- did many sculptures around the city. You probably know one of his most famous, End of the Trail?" Ben explained.

"That one's not in D.C. though." Sadusky pointed out.

"Correct. However, it tells us in this handy little note right here that-" Ben reached into the back of the empty cavity, tearing a note that had been taped in out, "_The next clue will lead you closer to your heritage and the guardianship of your treasure._"

"We have to go to the national archives building." I stated, getting a nod from Ben.

"Right again. Heritage and Guardianship are two of the statues that Fraser sculpted. They stand right outside the national archives."

"Good work." Sadusky smiled, clapping Ben on the back. Everyone started to walk back over to the bell tower, discussing what they thought the next clue was going to be.

"I hope that this is over soon," I muttered, starting to follow the other agents.

"Oh, where's your sense of adventure, Abigail?" Ben complained, following me.

"I don't know, maybe I lost it fourteen years ago after the first treasure hunt." I argued, turning back to look at him. "But hey, go ahead and have fun with this. It's not like you're worried about our daughter or your best friend anyway."

He stood speechless, stopped in his tracks. I stared at his brown eyes, knowing how much I had hurt him, yet still shook my head in disbelief at how insensitive he seemed. I turned back around and ran to join the agents, leaving him standing by himself.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

Alright. So by now in the story its pretty late Saturday night, and everyone's nerves are shattered. The treasure hunt isn't over yet though, we still have a few more clues to go. I don't own national treasure- Disney does. They don't own Martha though, I do.

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"It was good while it lasted," Riley sighed, his hands tied back together as well as mine. We had been given just enough time to finish our snack. I had also gotten a chance to sneak away and see how flooded the tunnel was out beyond the elevator platform. I bit the side of my mouth, wondering if I should tell Riley or not.

"Um- Riley?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked, turning his head to face me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I glanced quickly over at Shaw, who had gone back to sleep once we were tied up again.

"Marti- what's wrong?" he asked again, seeing my scared eyes.

"It's just that…when we were untied, I went over to the edge of the chamber to see- you know…. How bad the tunnel was flooded." I explained, my voice shaking.

"How bad was it?" he asked me, trying to get closer. He managed a foot or two, actually getting close enough to hug me if his hands weren't tied up.

"It was…it was pretty bad." I told him, starting to cry. I tried to get closer to him, gaining enough ground to lean against him. I laid my head on his shoulder, crying into his warm jacket.

"Like, how bad exactly?" he asked nervously.

"Shaw wasn't exaggerating. The water- it's probably only a few inches, if that much, from reaching us." I sobbed, wishing that my parents were here. Riley was like a big brother to me, but I seriously missed my mom and dad.

Riley was quiet for a moment, letting the news sink in and letting me cry. If his hands had been free, he would have held me and rubbed my shoulder.

"Its alright… everything is going to be fine…" he murmured. I relaxed a little, feeling as if I were seven again. Riley always knew what to do. If he ever had kids, he would make an awesome dad.

"Would you like to hear another story of how your dad and I, along with your mom of course, helped find the treasure?" he asked. I nodded, sniffling, as I curled up next to him, my head still resting on his shoulder.

"Okay, it all started when I was working at a boring old desk job. I had known your dad for awhile, like back in high school. One day he resurfaced, remembering how technologically savvy I was. Well, he started talking about this magnificent treasure, and of course I couldn't refuse. So the next thing I know, we were all off to the artic circle (thanks to my calculations, of course) to find this old ship…" he started telling me in his soothing story-telling voice. I sighed and shut my eyes, snuggling as close to him as I could. I fell asleep to his voice and his words, not caring what he was saying but just glad that he was saying it to me.

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I tried to sleep on the car drive back to D.C., but Abigail's words kept ringing in my mind. Did it seem like I didn't care? I might not of broken down like Abby had, but I still cared. That's why I was trying so hard with this treasure hunt; I wanted to get to the end of it. I didn't know what Ian had in store for us, but I felt a sense of urgency that drove me on.

I gazed out at the dark sky, wishing that wherever they were, Riley and Martha were alright.

It wasn't long until we reached the national archives, finding a nearby parking place. I had no clue what time it was, but it seemed like it was really late. It's probably been a whole day since they went missing, but it almost felt longer. I exhaled, opening my door and joining everyone else at the heritage statue.

This statue showed a woman holding a baby and held the engraving: '_the heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future.' _The other statue, Guardianship, was of a man holding a helmet and held the engraving: '_eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.' _

One of the agents (I still didn't know any of their names, but I guess it doesn't really matter…) had found a slip of paper stuck in a crevice. Another agent had found another one on the other statue. I took both, unrolling the two tiny slips of paper. I read them both aloud.

"_1:Massachusetts Historical Society / 2:find ABIGAIL. / 3: O.N.C. / 4: 9 Will lead to clue"_

"What the heck does all of this mean?" Sadusky asked, taking the notes away. I leaned against the statue, thinking aloud.

"Massachusetts Historical Society…what is that? Is it just a society somewhere?"

"I think it's a website," one of the agents answered.

"Then… ABIGAIL must be something on the website. At first I thought it was my wife…" I looked up. "Where is she anyway?"

Everyone looked around. One of the agents cleared his throat.

"I- um, I saw her walking over to the other statue."

"Here, you go find her, and we'll once again get the cars started up again. Our headquarters aren't far from here; we'll use the computer there." Sadusky explained, handing me one of the notes. I nodded, heading away from the group to go to the other statue. I saw someone crouched behind it, bending over part of it.

"Abigail? Is that you?" I asked, walking quietly over to her.

"Ben… I found something." She murmured, standing back up. "It was hidden in a crack near the bottom of the statue and-"

"I'm sorry." I blurted out, cutting her off. She stopped, blinking.

"What?"

"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to sound uncaring, I just…" I sighed. Abigail smiled thoughtfully.

"Ben, it's alright. My nerves are strained; I didn't mean to go off on you like that. I'm sorry too." I smiled at her.

"Well, what did you find?" I asked, glancing down at the slip of paper in her hand.

"It's a note, from Ian. It appears as though he didn't want the FBI agents to find it. He stuck it in a crack I always noticed when I worked here. I wonder how he'd know I'd find it?"

"Find ABIGAIL…" I whispered, amazed.

"Ben, it says we should ditch the FBI. I-I actually agree with him." She sighed.

"I… do too." I mumbled, amazed at how Ian seemed to predict exactly how we'd both would react to his treasure hunt. I gazed into Abby's eyes, knowing what we had to do if we wanted to find our daughter and best friend again.

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The first few drops of rain fell as I walked back over to where I had last seen them. What was taking them so long? We needed to get moving if we wanted to find Ian in time.

"Mr. Gates…Mrs. Gates…?" I called, puzzled at where they had gone off to.

"They couldn't of…" I breathed, not seeing them anywhere.

"Those two…" I struggled to find the right word to call them. However, I felt some respect in my heart for them. They were always willing to give us the slip. I noticed a piece of paper on the ground and bent over to pick it up, hoping it was the clue I had given Ben.

"_Gates: lose the FBI if you want to finish this treasure hunt."_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

Almost there! Will Ben and Abigail reach Martha and Riley in time? Will Ian be caught? Will the FBI stop the chase? N.T. belongs to Disney and Martha belongs to me. I don't own Google either.

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I'm not sure what woke me up, if it was the sound of dripping water, or me not being able to breathe because I had fallen asleep with my head resting in Marti's hair. But once I did, I realized that it was much colder and wetter in the chamber than it was when we had fallen asleep.

I groaned, becoming fully awake. I looked around and saw that there was cold, dirty water inside our chamber. It reached up about only an inch or two, but it was still sobering. It signified that there wasn't much time left. I looked over in the corner and saw Shaw (ha ha, saw Shaw…) crouching, gazing fearfully at the water.

"It-it rained all last night. I…Ian, he didn't, I mean, not-" he stammered.

"Hey Shaw, don't worry man. He'll be back. You said yourself that he'd be back before it rained. He's just probably… caught in traffic…or something," I rambled on, trying to reassure ourselves but failing miserably.

"Riley…" Martha breathed, stirring from her sleep. "Why's it so c-cold?"

"Um, Marti- there's a slight problem." I tried to calm her before she opened her eyes. I was too late.

"Riley!" she screamed, seeing all the water pooled around us.

"Riley!" Shaw yelled, still grasping the wall in fear.

"RILEY!" I screamed. They both looked at me. I cleared my throat.

"Sorry, I got caught up in the moment."

"How can you still joke around when we're about to die?!" Marti asked.

"Um, maybe because, even if it did rain non-stop all day, we'd still have a couple of hours until the water got too high, _and _the fact that Ian or your parents could get here at any moment, _and _the fact that I happen to know a secret way out of this place." I smiled smugly. They both calmed down, looking over at me.

"You do?" Marti asked in disbelief.

"Uhh, yeah." I answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Through the treasure room."

"This isn't the treasure room?" Marti asked.

"No way. Do you think that the treasure of this century could all fit in this tiny little space?"

"Well, can you tell us how to get to the treasure room?" Shaw asked.

"I could, _if _you untie me. And Martha, of course." I tried to bargain. Shaw thought, looking down at the water and then back up at me.

"We still have a few hours, you said?" he smiled. I could feel my spirit sinking.

"Um, no! Shaw, when I said hours, I didn't really…you see, I- oh forget it." I sighed as he sat down in the water, smiling over at us. He wouldn't be letting us go until the situation got worse.

"You and your big mouth," Martha tsked.

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I knocked on the door, pleading that he would be here.

"Ben, Abigail!" my dad gasped as he opened the door.

"Hi dad." I smiled.

"You two can't stay out of trouble, can you?" he smiled at us. "Well, come in, come in. You two are getting all wet standing out there in the rain" he ushered us into the living room.

"What are you two doing here this early?" he asked, sitting down in a chair. Abby and me sat down on the sofa.

"Dad, you were the first person I could think of when we left. We had to take a taxi and I don't know how long it'll take the FBI to catch up with us-" I started explaining.

"Wait. What's going on?" he asked, his smile falling. I sighed and looked at Abigail. She nodded at me, smiling nervously.

"Dad, Martha and Riley were kidnapped by Ian."

"What?" he asked, shocked. "How, when?"

"About a day ago, when Riley was staying home to baby-sit her."

"That boy never could keep things in order." He muttered.

"Dad." I yelled, "It wasn't Riley's fault. The house was torn apart by Ian and some of his men. It was…I couldn't stand being in there." I told him shakily, my voice breaking. Abby rubbed my shoulder.

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Ian left us a treasure map. It should lead us to them. We were working with the FBI, until one of his clues told us that we needed to finish this out on our own. We need to borrow your computer to look up the last clue we got. The FBI still has half of it, but I can remember what it said." I explained more calmly. He sat still for a while, taking all this in. Then, he sighed and nodded.

"Go ahead." He mumbled, standing back up and walking us over to his study.

I booted up the computer and got on the internet. Typing _Massachusetts Historical Society _into Google, we were brought to a website.

"Alright, we need to find ABIGAIL," I told my wife.

"It sounds like it would be a search engine, or something." She murmured, scooting over and taking over the mouse. In no time we had entered the search engine ABIGAIL.

"Alright," she turned around to face me, "What does your clue say?"

"_3:O.N.C. / 4: 9 Will lead to clue_." I read aloud.

"What does O.N.C. mean?" she asked, confused. I thought for a moment, leaning on my dad's desk.

"It stands for something, possibly a place or event in history. What could it stand for?" I wondered, looking around the study.

On a bulletin board, I saw my dad's mementos from our last treasure hunt. He said that he always wanted to remember it, so he had gathered brochures from the places we went, newspaper clippings of our story, even a medallion he had found in the treasure room that had the Templar symbol on it. I studied it for a moment, looking at every different thing. I was about to turn my attention back to the computer, when a small flyer in the corner of the board caught my attention.

It was an advertisement for a Sunday service at the Old North Church in  
Boston.

"I know what it stands for." I told Abigail, still staring at the piece of paper. "Type in 'Old North Church'."

Once she had typed it and had clicked the submit button, we were directed to a list of documents. There was a number in brackets that listed each one. She caught on and quickly scrolled down to the ninth thing listed. It read: _History of Paul Revere's signal lanterns, April 18, 1775, in the steeple of the North Church._

"That's where we need to go," I whispered, smiling down at Abigail. "Dad, we're leaving!" I called out.

"Is there anything I can do Ben?" he asked, following us to the front door.

"I bet you could stay here and wait for the FBI." I told him.

"I don't need to lie to them this time?" he asked. I smiled.

"No. Don't worry, everything will be alright. Tell them that we're going to the Old North Church. I'm sure we'll need their help once we find Marti and Riley. See you soon dad." I hugged him before leaving. "Oh!" I turned back around to him, "Could we possibly- borrow your car?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

We're getting closer, almost to the end. It's going to end a lot sooner if it doesn't stop raining, though. Thank you those of you who are reading and reviewing, I appreciate it so much. So far, no one has hated this story. Or, if they did, they haven't reviewed. That makes me feel so good. If everyone hated this story, it would've probably been my first and last fanfic. Just a reminder in case anyone's forgotten: I don't own national treasure, but I do own Martha. Alright- enjoy!

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"Mr. Gates?" I called out as I entered the house with two of my agents by my side. He walked over to us, smiling as he approached.

"Oh good, you're here." He shook my hand.

"What? No duct tape this time?" I asked. He shook his head. "May I ask you if you've seen-"

"My son and his wife? You missed them by about an hour." He replied.

"Did they happen to tell you-"

"They're heading to the Old North Church in Boston."

"So I see you're being honest with us this time. Alright, I guess we should try to catch them. We were unable to find the next clue because they have the last half of it." I explained, opening the front door again.

"Wait!" he stopped me. "Could I possibly…come with you?" he asked.

"Are you sure you want to?" I asked. He nodded.

"Okay then, you can ride with me. Be careful though, we don't know when we'll run into Ian."

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The water had risen, this time reaching the lower part of my chest when I was sitting (which was about the only thing I could do…). I shivered uncontrollably, wishing that it could've been warm, clean water.

"Shaw- please untie us! We can all get out of here within a few moments!" Riley begged, glancing over at me. He was worried.

"Not yet," Shaw shook his head, "Only an hour or two more. Ian will be here, I'm sure of it." He chattered, the cold getting to him too.

I closed my eyes and prayed silently, trying to get my mind off of our desperate situation. The torches were still lit, but I wasn't sure how long they'd last. I did not want to be stuck down here in the dark, the water still rising.

"Please dad… mom, please," I whispered, crying, "Please find us soon."

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Abby and I had arrived at the church, managing to find our way inside. We were now inside the bell tower, wondering if this was the right place to be. I looked around at the small, cramped room.

"Do you think he hid the clue somewhere else?" Abby asked, looking around with me.

"I don't know…Hey, look what I found!" I called over to her, noticing something hanging in the corner. We walked over to it slowly. It was a single lantern.

"This could be the clue. It's hanging in about the same place as the warning lanterns were for Paul Revere, but there were two lanterns, not just one." I mumbled, studying it.

"Very good Ben," someone called out, "It took me much too long to figure that out." Ian remarked, stepping into the room with us. Abigail backed up against me.

"Ian." I nodded. He smiled over at us, looking the same as he had always looked.

"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Gates."

"Where's our daughter, and Riley?" Abby asked, glaring at him.

"They should still be safe, if you guys hurry that is. Here." He tossed something over to me. I picked it up off the ground. It was a note. His note.

He had written his treasure map out on regular paper, a few words and letters bolded. I looked up at him.

"Is this a joke Ian?" I asked nervously.

"Just read it Ben, you already had everything you needed. Oh, and you might need these." He replied, dropping some equipment on the floor. He waved to us before leaving. We both stared at where he had been standing, and then back down at the note. This time it looked like this:

"_For **Ben** and Abigail Gates: You two like tr**ea**sure hunts- don't you? I made **th**is one just for you. Just follow the clues and it'll soon lead you to the treasure you most desire._

_It'll be like old times, you against me. This time the roles are reversed though, with you willing to do anything to get this back just for you and the FBI chasing after me. Maybe this time I'll be the noble hero and you'll end up in the iron **p**en. Feel free to dive right in anytime at the place where the status quo ends. _

_Time's running out **a**nd you'd bette**r **hurry before the treasure disappears for good. I had to wait quite awhile to come up with this, thin**king** jus**t** like y**o**u would._

_My me**n** and I have given you more than enough c**l**ues right now. Just follow your heart **an**d know wher**e** to start: where you found the clue (and we almost caught you) at the house of Pass and Stow"_

"Ben…ea…th…p…a…r…king…t…o…n…l…an…e." I mumbled while reading the bolded letters out loud. "Beneath…parking…ton…lane. Beneath Parkington Lane. Beneath Parkington Lane!" I cried.

"Feel free to dive right in anytime at the place where the status quo ends, beneath Parkington Lane!" I smiled, starting to pace. "How could I have not guessed? Last time we were down there with Ian, my father always warned me that the status quo would change! I-I can't believe this!"

"What is all this then?" Abigail asked, crouching by the equipment. I came over and kneeled next to her. There was a Rebreather, a diving weighting system, a knife, a mask, fins, and a waterproof flashlight.

"Feel free to dive in anytime…" I breathed, glancing out the small window at the rain.

"We need to go, now." I pulled Abigail up by the wrist, making her drop the note. "Here, you carry this," I handed her the Rebreather, "And I'll carry all of this." I managed to grab the other smaller items.

"But- Ben! What's happening?!" she cried out, following me.

"Riley and Martha are in danger!" I yelled back up at her as I took the stairs two at a time.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

Times almost up! Ben and Abby need to hurry or Shaw needs to let Riley and Martha go. Either way, this story is about to get very _wet_. REALLY long chapter this time guys! Sadly, I do not own National Treasure, Disney does. I do own Martha though, and that makes me feel better.

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The water was too high; we had to get out soon. I felt as if we had been trapped down here forever. Tiny waves lapped my neck, and I struggled to stay above the darkness.

"Riley," I gasped, trying to make myself taller. My wrists didn't seem as sore now, now that I was scared to death.

"It's going to be okay, Martha. Calm down, I'll get us out of here." He reassured me. Shaw still hadn't let us go yet, but it looked as if he were about to crack.

"Shaw!" Riley yelled.

"Fine. I release you, you open the treasure room. Deal?" he shouted, sloshing over to us and bringing out his knife.

"Yes, totally, I agree." Riley sighed, his hands released. He sank back to the ground, rubbing his wrists where the rope had cut into his skin. Shaw grabbed him by the neck of his shirt, pulling him to his feet.

"Alright- go open the door!" he yelled, shoving Riley over to the wall, causing him to trip and fall under the water. He sat back up, coughing.

"What about Martha?" He asked, standing back up. He wiped his soaking hair away from his face.

"I never promised to untie her." Shaw spat, still holding his knife.

"What? No, you have to release her! I won't open the door until you do!" he stomped.

"Yes you will!" Shaw threatened, stalking over to Riley. He held his knife to his throat. I saw Riley's eyes get wide.

"Umm, okay, maybe I can," he gulped, stumbling away from Shaw. He stood in front of a wall that had an eye painted on it.

"Where is that button?" he mumbled nervously, his hands groping underwater for it.

"Hurry up!" Shaw yelled, joining him.

"I'm trying!" Riley yelled, turning his head towards Shaw. He finally found the button and pressed it.

"Here, the treasure room!" he muttered to Shaw, pushing open the wall. The water level fell a few inches as the new room was opened. Shaw walked in ahead of Riley.

"Riley! Don't leave me!!" I cried out to him. He turned and looked at me before turning back towards Shaw. I stared in shock, not believing that he would truly leave me.

"This doesn't look like a treasure room!" Shaw stated. Riley reached out his arms, pushing Shaw forward. I heard him yell out in surprise as he dropped his knife. Riley immediately fell to his knees, sloshing around as he tried to find it. He found it quick enough and rejoined me.

"You didn't think that I'd leave you, now did you?" Riley asked as he smiled. I smiled back up at him. Then I saw Shaw coming up behind him.

"Riley, look out!" I yelled. Riley turned his head only to be punched by Shaw. He fell under the water, dropping the knife again. Shaw picked him back up, only to punch him again. I was trying to scream, but all I could hear was Riley's weak breath as Shaw battered him. They got closer and closer to where I thought the edge of the platform was, until I suddenly didn't see Riley any more.

"RILEY!!" I screamed. Shaw turned and looked back at me for a second before diving into the water out past the edge of the chamber. I continued to scream once he reached a staircase and started to crawl up.

I started to cry, still screaming. I was alone, all alone. The water lapped at my neck and continued to rise. One of the torches extinguished, causing a corner of the chamber to go black.

"Riley…" I whispered as the water started to cover my chin. I slumped to the ground, exhausted from struggling. The water covered my mouth and tickled my nose as I closed my eyes.

"Riley…" I gurgled underwater, trying to shut everything out.

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"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" I panted, running up the stairs of the church. The sky was getting dark once again and I knew that our time was almost up. Abigail and I burst into the chapel, expecting to see it empty. We both stopped, stunned. The FBI was swarming the place.

"Long time no see Ben!" Sadusky smiled, coming over to me.

"Sadusky…what's going on?" I asked, out of breath.

"Well, we must've gotten to the Old North Church a few minutes after you guys had left. You left the clue on the floor and luckily we had your father there who figured it out for us."

"So my dad's here?" I asked, walking with Sadusky as he walked towards the front of the church.

"Yep. Anyway, we flew straight here once we figured it out, which is probably how we beat you guys. And guess who we found waiting for us?" he asked as we approached the tomb of the master mason. Ian was sitting there, handcuffed.

"Ian?" I asked. He looked up at me, annoyed.

"Ben, you have to hurry! They're all still down there! The water is too high!" he stammered.

"Yeah, he was trying to climb down the secret tunnel. We also caught one of his men, Shaw, who was soaking wet. That was probably only three minutes ago. No one has gone down the tunnel yet. Where'd you get the equipment?"

"Sadusky, I'm going down there right now." I told him, taking off my jacket and grabbing the equipment. "Martha and Riley are down there, and the tunnels flooded."

"I'm going down too." Abigail said, picking up the Rebreather and following me. I smiled at her in surprise.

"Wait- we don't know how safe it is!" Sadusky called out after us as we descended into the tunnel. I turned the flashlight on, grabbing Abby's hand as we made our way down. I could hear water up ahead and saw the familiar glow of the huge wooden chandelier. Ian must have lit it the last time he was down here.

Abby and I cautiously stepped onto the rotten staircase, and let our mouths drop open. The tunnel was flooded more than I thought it would be.

"Oh no..." Abby cried, covering her mouth with her hand as she started to cry. I quickly got us onto an elevator that looked sturdy enough.

"Okay, Abby? I want you to lower this while I dive down there and look for those two. Can you do that?" I asked, sitting down and putting my diving garb on.

"Ben- I, I don't know if I can-"she stammered. I stood back up and turned to her, holding her face in my hands.

"Abigail, you have to. There's not much time left. You can do this, I know you can. You just have to trust me, okay?" I asked.

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I gazed into Ben's brown eyes, and I suddenly saw that same nervous young man who had come to me years ago with an impossible claim. I had trusted him then when so much was at stake, and I could trust him now when there was even more at stake.

"Okay…" I replied quietly, nodding slightly. He leaned over and kissed me. I closed my eyes, trying to calm down. Then, all of a sudden, he took a step backwards and fell off the end. I watched him dive into the murky water far below before going back to the elevator's pulley system to lower it.

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I had almost given up hope when I suddenly heard a splash. I opened my eyes, which were barely above the water, and saw a man resurface in a diving mask and regulator. My dad.

"Daurggle!" I sputtered my mouth underwater. He glanced over and saw me, and I could see how his eyes softened at the sight. In no time he was right next to me, sawing my ropes like crazy as the water rose. I tried to keep my head above the water as he snapped through the ropes. Just as the water rose above my head, my hands fell free.

I jumped to my feet, gasping in air. My dad hugged me, pulling me close.

"I was so worried…" he breathed, rocking me back and forth. I let him hold me for a minute, feeling completely safe. Then I thought of Riley.

"Dad! You have to find Riley! He- Shaw hurt him and he, he fell underwater, and I don't know where he is! I think he- he fell over the edge of the elevator platform." I cried, standing back up. My dads eyes fell to the water as he immediately went into search and rescue mode.

"Your mom should be right outside with the elevator, go join her and I'll find him. I'll find him…" he told me reassuringly. It would've made me feel better if he had said 'I'll find him _alive_'.

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I dove under the water, plunging into darkness. I clicked my flashlight back on as I swam to the end of the room, hoping that Riley wasn't- I didn't even want to think about not being able to find him.

I came up to the edge of the platform and saw…nothing. He wasn't there.

I tried not to panic as I searched the empty floor of the platform, not wanting to believe what was obvious. I stopped, sinking to the floor. I wouldn't be able to go on if Riley wasn't there. He was…he was my best friend.

I was about to head back up to the surface when my flashlight caught something near the drop-off. I swam over to it, studying it closely.

It was a rope used to tie the elevator to the platform. It was all twisted and knotted together. I tugged on it. Something heavy was tied to the other end. I looked over the edge to find an unconscious Riley, his foot tangled in the web of old rope. I could've cried with relief, but I still needed to get him untangled and back up to the surface- fast.

Working as fast as I could, I quickly snapped through the aged rope. Grabbing him before he could sink into the abyss, I paddled up to the surface.

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I had the elevator sitting close to the water's surface, waiting for Ben to come back. I heard some noise from inside the room and waited impatiently, hoping that it was a good sign.

Then, there was Martha, swimming out to me. I had to sit down, shocked. All this time I had only wanted to hold her and now she was actually here with us, safe. She crawled up next to me soaking wet.

"My baby!" I cried, hugging her. She embraced me, hanging on for dear life. I let her cry on my shoulder as we enjoyed a quiet moment.

"Mom, Riley is…" she sat back, still crying, "I'm worried that he's…"

"Your dad will find him, trust me. He will not resurface until he has Riley in tow." I squeezed her arm. She managed a weak smile before turning her attention to the water, waiting. We both were quiet, realizing that seconds, minutes were passing by.

We both jumped when Ben came up, water splashing instead of the dreadful silence. I cried out when I saw Riley on Ben's shoulder. He was unconscious, bruised and somewhat bloodied. It looked as though he just got out of a boxing match. Ben struggled through the water towards the elevator.

He pushed Riley up onto the floor of the elevator, with Martha quickly pulling him away from the edge. Ben strained, trying to pull himself up on board. I helped drag him onto the wooden platform, kissing him as he lay on the floor exhausted.

"Riley, he's not breathing!" Marti yelled over to us, starting to panic. Ben crawled over to Riley, feeling his neck for a pulse.

"Is he…" I asked quietly. Ben shook his head.

"There's a faint pulse. Abby, start pulling us back up." He said, bending over and starting to give Riley CPR. My hands shook as I tried to start the pulley system going again.

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I don't know how long, but for awhile it seemed as if I could breathe underwater. I saw Shaw (ha, ha, saw Shaw!) climb up the stairs, but only faintly. I was aware of a sound in the distance, like someone screaming. For some reason, I felt as though I should be going back up to the surface, but when I tried to get a response from my body it was like it wasn't mine anymore. I felt like I was floating farther and farther from the surface, and I started thinking slower and my vision got darker and darker. I felt as light as a feather, as if I could fly.

I was barely aware of some sort of sensation, as if it were happening to me a million miles away. I tried to swim closer to the surface of the water, trying to see what was going on. I felt like I shouldn't be stuck down here on the bottom of this endless tunnel, not when I felt so light.

Suddenly, I could feel air rushing through me, coursing with life. I surged to the surface, straight up in the air, and back into my body. I felt as though a million pounds had been dumped on top of me, but I felt like _me _again.

I turned onto my side, coughing up dirty water. I was shivering in my wet clothes, vaguely aware of the people around me. I must have swallowed half the water in the flooded tunnel, because I couldn't stop coughing for awhile. I curled up into a ball, trying to warm myself and stop my teeth from chattering.

Then, I could feel someone wrapped tight around my shoulders, like a blanket. They were sooo warm. I could feel myself closing my eyes, exhausted for some reason. In the distance I could hear:

"Riley, its okay….everything is going to be okay…"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve- Epilogue

Final Chapter! Are you guys psyched?! It seems as though everything is going to turn out alright. Yea for happy endings! For the last time, I do not own national treasure; if I did, I would be rich. Instead, I own Marti Gates, but that's still cool (and I also own a certain friend of Riley's named Chelsea).

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Everyone sat around the large table, smiling and laughing. They were having this celebratory dinner for many reasons. Ian going back to prison, Riley being healthy and well, and just to be with everyone they cared about.

Ben and Abigail had made sure that everything was perfect for tonight, even though it was only them, Martha, Ben's dad, and Riley. Ben had tried to invite Sadusky, but he claimed that he wasn't really the dinner party type of guy.

Someone else was at the table too. Riley's new girlfriend, Chelsea. They had met while Riley was still in the hospital, being treated for hypothermia. She had walked in one night, trying to find where her uncle's room was.

Riley said that he wasn't sure, he didn't even know what room he was in right now. She was about to walk back outside, when she noticed his name on his clipboard.

"Wait," she turned back to him, "You're Riley? As in, Riley Poole?!" she came closer.

"Umm, yeah…" he said cautiously, not sure what was happening.

"You're that guy who helped save the Templar treasure a few years ago! I can't believe I'm actually standing in your hospital room." She sighed, gazing around dreamily.

"You actually know who I am?" Riley asked, surprised. This kind of stuff always happened to Ben and Abigail, but not to him.

"Know you? You were like, my hero." She smiled, pulling up a chair next to his bed.

"Could you maybe, tell me how you guys found the treasure?" she asked, glancing down into his blue eyes.

They had been dating ever since.

It had taken Martha awhile to adjust to Chelsea, but Riley had promised Marti that he would never leave her, not even when he was dating. They were still inseparable, maybe even more so now after they had been held captive. They had both gone through a lot, and that had made them closer.

Ben and Abigail smiled at each other, glad that everything was back to normal again. There were nights still when they couldn't sleep because they were scared. But, as soon as they had gotten back home, they had their house installed with the latest security system, making sure that they were safe.

They didn't have to worry about babysitting anymore either. Both Riley and Martha came with them to any gala or seminar they were invited to. They were going to stay together, at any risk.

"Riley," Martha asked once the conversation had died down at the table, "Could you tell us the story of how you guys found the Templar treasure again?"

"Yes! I LOVE this story!" Chelsea squealed, scooting closer to him.

"Alright, alright, my adoring fans," Riley smiled, "This is how it all began. Well, it all started when I was working at a boring old desk job. I had known your dad for awhile, like back in high school. One day he resurfaced, remembering how smart I was with computers. Well, he started talking about this magnificent treasure, and of course I couldn't refuse. So the next thing I know, we were all off to the artic circle…"

THE END


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